<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> America in Decline: Why Germans Think We're Insane
A look at our empire in decline through the eyes of the European media.

December 26, 2010 |

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As an American expat living in the European Union, Iíve started to see America from a different perspective.

The European Union has a larger economy and more people than America does. <span style='font-size: 14pt'>Though it spends less -- right around 9 percent of GNP on medical, whereas we in the U.S. spend close to between 15 to 16 percent of GNP on medical -- the EU pretty much insures 100 percent of its population.</span>

The U.S. has 59 million people medically uninsured; 132 million without dental insurance; 60 million without paid sick leave; 40 million on food stamps. <span style='font-size: 14pt'>Everybody in the European Union has cradle-to-grave access to universal medical and a dental plan by law. The law also requires paid sick leave; paid annual leave; paid maternity leave. <span style="color: #990000"> Geez, who would want that, not the TP for sure. I can see the banners, "I don't want paid holidays, I don't want medical insurance, etc etc</span>When you realize all of that, it becomes easy to understand why many Europeans think America has gone insane.</span><span style="color: #990000"> Yes it does.</span>

Der Spiegel has run an interesting feature called "A Superpower in Decline," which attempts to explain to a German audience such odd phenomena as the rise of the Tea Party, without the hedging or attempts at "balance" found in mainstream U.S. media.

Unlike here, in Germany jobless benefits never run out. Not only that -- as part of their social safety net, <span style='font-size: 14pt'>all job seekers continue to be medically insured, as are their families.</span>

In the German jobless benefit system, when "jobless benefit 1" runs out, "jobless benefit 2," also known as HartzIV, kicks in. That one never gets cut off. The jobless also have contributions made for their pensions. They receive other types of insurance coverage from the state. As you can imagine, the estimated 2 million unemployed Americans who almost had no benefits this Christmas seems a particular horror show to Europeans, made worse by the fact that the U.S. government does not provide any medical insurance to American unemployment recipients. Europeans routinely recoil at that in disbelief and disgust.

<u>It's important to note that no country in the European Union uses food stamps in order to humiliate its disadvantaged citizens in the grocery checkout line.</u> Even worse is the fact that even the humbling food stamp allotment may not provide enough food for Americaís jobless families. </div></div>

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As an American expat living in the European Union, Iíve started to see America from a different perspective.

The European Union has a larger economy and more people than America does. <span style='font-size: 14pt'>Though it spends less -- right around 9 percent of GNP on medical, whereas we in the U.S. spend close to between 15 to 16 percent of GNP on medical -- the EU pretty much insures 100 percent of its population.</span>

The U.S. has 59 million people medically uninsured; 132 million without dental insurance; 60 million without paid sick leave; 40 million on food stamps. <span style='font-size: 14pt'>Everybody in the European Union has cradle-to-grave access to universal medical and a dental plan by law. The law also requires paid sick leave; paid annual leave; paid maternity leave. <span style="color: #990000"> Geez, who would want that, not the TP for sure. I can see the banners, "I don't want paid holidays, I don't want medical insurance, etc etc</span>When you realize all of that, it becomes easy to understand why many Europeans think America has gone insane.</span><span style="color: #990000"> Yes it does.</span>

Der Spiegel has run an interesting feature called "A Superpower in Decline," which attempts to explain to a German audience such odd phenomena as the rise of the Tea Party, without the hedging or attempts at "balance" found in mainstream U.S. media.

Unlike here, in Germany jobless benefits never run out. Not only that -- as part of their social safety net, <span style='font-size: 14pt'>all job seekers continue to be medically insured, as are their families.</span>

In the German jobless benefit system, when "jobless benefit 1" runs out, "jobless benefit 2," also known as HartzIV, kicks in. That one never gets cut off. The jobless also have contributions made for their pensions. They receive other types of insurance coverage from the state. As you can imagine, the estimated 2 million unemployed Americans who almost had no benefits this Christmas seems a particular horror show to Europeans, made worse by the fact that the U.S. government does not provide any medical insurance to American unemployment recipients. Europeans routinely recoil at that in disbelief and disgust.

<u>It's important to note that no country in the European Union uses food stamps in order to humiliate its disadvantaged citizens in the grocery checkout line.</u> Even worse is the fact that even the humbling food stamp allotment may not provide enough food for Americaís jobless families. </div></div>

Incredible, isn't it? I will NEVER vote for a Republican! This post is a perfect example of why I won't.

G.

Chopstick

12-29-2010, 10:19 AM

How are those street riots coming along? Got any more free stuff from the public treasury yet?

LWW

12-29-2010, 04:02 PM

Our Eurabian friends ... we can all count on them to be there when they need us.

LWW

cushioncrawler

12-29-2010, 05:14 PM

Iceland loves the usofa.

It took time for the usofa to earn Japan's love -- and Japan iz now still sick -- probly will get sicker again soon i think.

The usofa iz spreading a sort of Krappynomik aides.
With the help of their World Bank.
mac.

eg8r

12-29-2010, 06:11 PM

Not sure what you mean, but here in America anyone that is sick can be seen. Just walk inside any emergency room and you will even see that we pay for the medical care of all our illegal immigrants also.

eg8r

Chopstick

12-29-2010, 08:16 PM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cushioncrawler</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
The usofa iz spreading a sort of Krappynomik aides.
With the help of their World Bank.
mac. </div></div>

Hang on there Mac. The World Bank, the Federal Reserve, and fiat currencies are all European contraptions. It has been going on for two hundred years before the USofA ever existed. Sure, we mess up stuff but fair is fair. This ain't our deal and we don't have any control over it. The Fed just decided to start printing money again without getting permission from anyone. Look at an org chart of the Federal Reserve. Obama isn't on it. After Benanke, it's some guy in England.

hondo

12-29-2010, 10:13 PM

I have "refudiated" this right wing myth time and time again.
Sure they will see you. Then refer you to a doctor who will not see you, write prescriptions you have no money to fill, and
send you an outrageous bill for their services.

I've posted this about 70 times on both forums and it usually
goes ignored because it busts right wing warm fuzzy conceptions that all is well in America with health care.

It's pretty clear to me that while ole Hondo has grown up
and associated with struggling working class folks all
his life, you righties either surrond yourselves with
more well to do folks or choose to ignore the realities
of struggling working folks.

A perfect example is Bamadog who moans about having to help the working poor while bragging about how generous conservatives are while jetting to some island for vacation in his private jet.
Oh, the humanity! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A Florida woman got herself arrested the day after Christmas for calling 911 too many times about, wait for it, a bad manicure.

Seriously!? </div></div>

Thanks to the GOP, the whole country has gone nuts. Up is down and the truth is a lie. People call the police in America because McDonalds won't serve them breakfast at 3pm!

Before the election, Joe Six Pack was the man, the poster boy for the GOP.
After the election, Joe Six Pack is a liability, a cause of all the problems, with his fat pension, HC insurance etc etc.

If you can't see that then there is no hope for you.

Q.........

cushioncrawler

12-30-2010, 04:19 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cushioncrawler</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The usofa iz spreading a sort of Krappynomik aides. With the help of their World Bank.mac.</div></div><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Chopstick</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hang on there Mac. The World Bank, the Federal Reserve, and fiat currencies are all European contraptions. It has been going on for two hundred years before the USofA ever existed. Sure, we mess up stuff but fair is fair. This ain't our deal and we don't have any control over it. The Fed just decided to start printing money again without getting permission from anyone. Look at an org chart of the Federal Reserve. Obama isn't on it. After Benanke, it's some guy in England.</div></div>The last time i looked the usofa only had 16% of the say in the World Bank -- sounds fairnuff.
But, the veto in the World Bank needs -- wait for it, wait for it -- 15%.
mac.

Hang on there Mac. The World Bank, the Federal Reserve, and fiat currencies are all European contraptions. It has been going on for two hundred years before the USofA ever existed. Sure, we mess up stuff but fair is fair. This ain't our deal and we don't have any control over it. The Fed just decided to start printing money again without getting permission from anyone. Look at an org chart of the Federal Reserve. Obama isn't on it. After Benanke, it's some guy in England. </div></div>

Don't confuse them with history.

What really bugs the Euros is that our system refuses to institutionalize in stone a permanent underclass.

LWW

pooltchr

12-30-2010, 07:19 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Qtec</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Thanks to the GOP, the whole country has gone nuts. Up is down and the truth is a lie. People call the police in America because McDonalds won't serve them breakfast at 3pm!

Q......... </div></div>

I would love to hear you explain how you make a connection between the GOP and people calling the police on Micky D.
Does the GOP encourage this mentality? If so, please explain.
Is there data that suggests that those who do things like this are supporters of the GOP? Please provide data.
Do Democrats not file frivilous lawsuits?
WTF are you saying here, specifically. Please back up your statement with some sort of facts.

Or is this simply some foolish statement that you pulled out of your butt in an effort to try and make a point?

Chopstick

12-30-2010, 09:09 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cushioncrawler</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The last time i looked the usofa only had 16% of the say in the World Bank -- sounds fairnuff.
But, the veto in the World Bank needs -- wait for it, wait for it -- 15%.
mac. </div></div>

<span style="color: #000099">There is a simple solution to that. Since voting power corresponds directly to the size of our contribution, either the other countries can pay their fair share or reduce the US contribution by half or more then everyone will be equal. It is part of the UN and we are the largest contributor to that as well. We should reduce that also. I'm all for that.

I don't think that the US should be messing about in other countries business. We should stick to making our own country better. </span>

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A Florida woman got herself arrested the day after Christmas for calling 911 too many times about, wait for it, a bad manicure.

Seriously!? </div></div>

Thanks to the GOP, the whole country has gone nuts. Up is down and the truth is a lie. People call the police in America because McDonalds won't serve them breakfast at 3pm!

Before the election, Joe Six Pack was the man, the poster boy for the GOP.
After the election, Joe Six Pack is a liability, a cause of all the problems, with his fat pension, HC insurance etc etc.

If you can't see that then there is no hope for you.

Q......... </div></div>

Before the election it was all about deficits, too, then they pushed and insisted on running up more, with the same tax cut policies that the CBO, and economists from the left, and the right, including every single government chart, prove do nothing to stimulate the economy, which THEIR POLICIES DESTROYED!

The are doing what they always do, awarding the pigs, who have robbed the rest, AND/OR made them ill in the process, with all of their pollutants.

There is no hope for them. They're too stupid to understand, that they have been paying for all the people in this country, who have no health insurance, all along, and that doing so has been one of the main causes of higher medical costs, because they all go to the emeregency room, highest prices of all, not to mention, many of those are the same illegals who flooded illegally across our borders, after Reagan's invitational Amnesty.

How stupid is that????

What are the results of voting Republican?

Always the same result,

LIES, DISASTERS & DENIAL!

Should have been the names of Bush's and Rove's books, lol.

pooltchr

12-31-2010, 10:44 AM

I'm still waiting for someone to explain how this woman's crappy nail job is the fault of the GOP.

Steve

Sev

12-31-2010, 06:24 PM

Its quite obvious what the solution is.

Execute everybody that make more than 250,000.00 a year. That will fix the wealth problem.

eg8r

12-31-2010, 08:40 PM

You have been wrong every time. Just walk into the emergency room. Just because you don't like the story it is still true.

eg8r

LWW

01-01-2011, 05:12 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: pooltchr</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I would love to hear you explain how you make a connection between the GOP and people calling the police on Micky D.

</div></div>

That's easy ... it was on the spoon.

LWW

hondo

01-01-2011, 10:12 AM

Just read my post slowly. Meditate. Then point out one thing I said that was incorrect.
Or talk to any poor sucker who works every day for a low wage and has no health care.
If you actually know people like that, which I wonder.

eg8r

01-01-2011, 07:11 PM

This is the only part of your post that I bothered to read. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have "refudiated" this right wing myth time and time again.</div></div> This was so blatantly wrong I did not waste any time on the other stuff.

eg8r

hondo

01-02-2011, 08:16 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: eg8r</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This is the only part of your post that I bothered to read. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have "refudiated" this right wing myth time and time again.</div></div> This was so blatantly wrong I did not waste any time on the other stuff.

eg8r </div></div>

This is why I no longer have any desire to express my opinion on here.
Why bother?

hondo

01-02-2011, 08:20 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: eg8r</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This is the only part of your post that I bothered to read. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have "refudiated" this right wing myth time and time again.</div></div> This was so blatantly wrong I did not waste any time on the other stuff.

eg8r </div></div>

It's a shame. If you got past the joke, you might have learned something.